The invention relates, generally, to pinball games and, more particularly, to an improved ball trough for such games.
Pinball games typically consist of an inclined playfield supporting a plurality of play features such as targets, ramps, bumpers and the like. Player controlled flippers are pivotably mounted on the playfield near the bottom thereof. The player manipulates the flippers to direct the ball at selected play features thereby to control play of the game and score points.
To begin play of the game typically the player manipulates a spring loaded plunger that propels the ball up a shooter lane and onto the playfield. Play continues until the ball drains from the playfield via a drain hole. In the typical pinball game the drain hole is located behind the flippers such that if the player misplays the ball it will roll between the flippers into the drain hole and exit the playfield to terminate play of that ball. As will be appreciated, the player is usually provided with three, four or even five balls per game. Thus, when one ball drains from the playfield another ball will be loaded into the shooter lane.
Located in the playfield, out of sight of the player, is a ball trough. The ball trough extends from the drain hole to the shooter lane and is the mechanism by which the balls are retrieved from the drain hole and delivered to the shooter lane.
The prior art ball trough is a multicomponent assembly that must be assembled on the playfield during the manufacture of the game. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the assembly consists of a cutout 1 in the playfield 3 in which base member 5 is fixed. Base member 5 includes a central aperture 7 that defines a pair of rails 9a and 9b on which the ball rides. Base member 5 is formed as a ramp with a peak in the middle thereof (best shown in FIG. 3) such that a ball does not freely roll from the inlet end 11 to the outlet end 13.
A substantially v-shaped rail 15 is secured to the top of playfield 3 and forms one side rail of the ball trough and Straight rail 17, also secured to the top of playfield 3, forms the opposite side rail for the ball trough.
Located at inlet end 11 is a first mechanical (leaf) switch 19 that provides a signal to the game microprocessor indicating that a ball has entered the ball trough. Four additional mechanical switches 21, 23, 25 and 27 are provided between switch 19 and outlet end 13 and are arranged such that each switch will detect the presence or absence of balls queued on base member 5.
Mounted to the playfield adjacent the inlet end 11 is a solenoid kicker mechanism 25 consisting of a kicker arm 27 pivotably mounted on the playfield at pin 29. A solenoid 31 has its plunger 33 connected to kicker arm 27 such that activation of the solenoid causes the kicker arm to pivot through an aperture in rail 15 to kick the ball located at inlet end 11 over the peak formed in base member 5 to the ball queue. Spring 37 returns kicker arm to the original position.
Referring to FIG. 3, a second kicker mechanism 39 is mounted to the underside of the playfield adjacent outlet end 13. Kicker mechanism 39 consists of a kicker arm 41 pivotably mounted to support 43 that is fixed to the underside of the playfield. Solenoid 45 has its plunger 47 connected to arm 41 such that the activation of solenoid 45 causes kicker arm 41 to extend through the cutout 1 and kick the ball located at the outlet end 13 onto the playfield. An inclined diverter plate 49 is fixed to rail 17 to guide the kicked ball onto the playfield.
The game microprocessor controls the two kickers based on signals from switches 21, 23, 25 and 27 which track the movement of the balls in the ball trough from the drain hole to the shooter lane adjacent the plunger. As is evident from the foregoing description, the prior art trough is made of multiple components that must be assembled to the playfield during game manufacture. The use of the multiple components, especially the two solenoids, is an expensive design that is difficult and time consuming to assemble and maintain.
Thus, a simpler, more cost effective, preassembled ball trough for pinball games is desired.